Yes, Ella, There Is a Santa Claus
by lostrocket
Summary: Christmas, 1874. Uncle Rhett hasn't been home in over a year. Ella's world has changed quite a bit, and not for the better. Ella POV until the very end.
1. Chapter 1

_This is just a simple Christmas story. I will post the installments over the next few weeks until Christmas. It is Ella-centric, but the grown-ups will have their say at the end._

* * *

 _Dear Santa,_

Ella furrowed her brow and stared at the paper. How should she begin? She heard laughter out in the hall and her shoulders curled instinctively. The other girls were supposed to be out shopping. She hoped her roommates wouldn't come back early.

 _Is the North Pole very cold?_

Her penmanship instructor made them practice writing letters. She said you should ask questions, so the other person would have something to say when they wrote you back. Was that important for Santa? Ella didn't think she would get a letter back. She didn't know anyone who had had a letter from Santa. She frowned at her sentence, at the shuddery loops of the 'O's. She had to concentrate so hard to make her letters clear. She hated the penmanship classes almost as much as she had hated horseback riding, but at least she didn't have to do _that_ anymore.

Although, Mother's face after she had told her during the summer that she hated riding classes had been so dreadful, Ella almost wished she hadn't said anything. She almost would rather go near the large animals than have seen Mother's face go so pale and still she looked dead. Ella knew what that looked like, for Grandmother Butler had made her kiss Bonnie's cheek.

Ella shivered.

 _I hope it is not too cold. Your red coat looks very warm._

Ella's tongue poked out between her teeth. She should just get on with it.

 _Thank you for all my presen_

Ella scratched that out. She didn't want to lie to Santa. He probably remembered that they hadn't had very many presents last year. She didn't know what else to say.

 _I would like Uncle Rhett to come for Christmas. I don't know where to write to him so please tell him when to come for the school party. It is December 11._

Ella screwed up her face. She didn't want to cry. She had already cried the other day, when the girls had started talking about the school Christmas party. Mother hadn't sent her to school until after Christmas last year. Or really it was still this year, because she had started in January. Mother had taken her to Savannah for the first time, and she had met so many cousins she couldn't remember _any_ of their names. Most of them had red hair like her own. It was the first time she had met anyone else with hair like hers, but she hadn't seen them since that visit. Maybe they would have another visit when she came back to school next January. Maybe it would be something they did every year in January, just like Christmas came every year in December. Maybe if she met them again, she would make a friend, who would go to town with her like the other girls did.

Maybe if Uncle Rhett came home she wouldn't have to come back to school, and she would like that better. Much better.

Yesterday they had announced the Christmas party, but it seemed everyone already knew about it. Everyone but her, because she had still been in Atlanta last year. For the girls her age, the little girls, their families would come to take them home and there would be a lovely party. In the evening there would be a dance. That was why she wanted Uncle Rhett to come. She wasn't invited to the dance - it was for the older girls, the ones who would be leaving school soon and coming out. They would practice their conversation and their dancing. All the fathers were invited to this party.

Ella was too young, but the other girls had jibed at her cruelly while they talked of their own plans.

 _Oh, Ella, whatever will you do when we are old enough for the dance!_

 _You don't have a daddy, do you! I heard May Stephens saying your daddy died._

She had tried to explain Uncle Rhett - but somehow they knew about that, too. However did they know, even here in Savannah? She hadn't seen Uncle Rhett in over a year. She didn't think he had been back to Atlanta even while she was at school - surely Wade would have said something that summer. He had promised to help her with her letter writing - although she had sent him _dozens_ of letters so far and he had only sent one very short letter in answer - but surely he would have mentioned it if Uncle Rhett had been home.

No, Ella couldn't attend the dance - but Mother would be coming to take her home from school, and they would go to the party together - and maybe if Uncle Rhett came, too, they could all go home to Atlanta together.

 _He should be here by four o'clock for the party and he will need a hotel room because we do not go home until the next day. Please tell him_

Suddenly the door of her room flew open and her roommate, Eliza Whitfield, came flying in, with some of the other girls Ella didn't know very well. They all had pink cheeks from being outside in the cool December day. Ella moved a hand to cover her letter, but one of the other girls - she was tall, and pretty, with black hair that reminded Ella of her mother - oh she missed Mother - the girl had come over and was peering over her shoulder.

"Who are you writing to?" she asked, as if she didn't care one whit but Ella wasn't sure. She wasn't friends with these girls. She had tried, but she had learned quickly that their nice words were not to be trusted as they would just as soon dip her hair in ink when her back was turned. That one thing, at least, she had learned quickly!

"No one!" Ella squeaked, but the girl was tugging the paper away.

"Come on, silly," she said sweetly, "we shouldn't have any secrets between friends."

 _But you aren't my friend,_ Ella wanted to say, but she concentrated on covering the paper with her hands. The other girl would not be deterred and she shoved at Ella's hand.

"Dear -" she began, then started to laugh. "Oh Liza come see! She's writing to Santa!"

Liza - Eliza, her plump blonde roommate, came over with the other girl. They both looked over the black-haired girl's shoulder, then the other girl laughed. "What a baby! Poor Liza, rooming with a baby."

"I am not a baby!" Ella cried. Her chest felt hot, like it always did when she got so angry. She stood up, snatching the letter to her chest.

Liza looked a little guilty, and she said quietly, "But Ella, you know that Santa isn't real."

Ella stared at her. Not real? But Santa had to be real. No one else could help her, she was sure. Mother - Uncle Ashley - oh if only Aunt Melly hadn't died! She missed her aunt more than even Uncle Rhett. But Aunt Melly was dead, just like her baby sister was dead, and everyone had been so sad last year. And now she was in Savannah, Mother and Wade were in Atlanta, and Uncle Rhett was gone.

Ella had already forgotten the other little girls, but the black-haired one had reached out to try to take her letter again. Her brain snapped back to the present and she clutched it against her chest. She was just about to yell at the other girl but someone else yelled, from the hallway, calling names.

"Liza! Emma!" Emma! That was the girl's name. She remembered, now. How silly of her to forget - she remembered how like it was to her own name, and how she had tried to tell the taller girl that when they had met last January, but Emma had looked down her nose at her.

Wade had told her last summer that the other girls were just jealous because they knew that Mother and Uncle Rhett had a lot of money and that their house in Atlanta was nicer than all the other children's homes. Ella thought Wade had just been trying to make her feel better.

But the voice in the hall had distracted them all and they left her alone again. Ella sat back down with her letter. Liza had to be wrong. She would finish her letter.

 _Please tell him_ \- Ella scratched out 'him' and wrote instead - _Uncle Rhett. His name is Captain Butler and he is from Charleston but I don't know where he has gone since he left Atlanta but you must know where he is for you bring presents all over the world. He should come to St. Mary's Girls School in Savannah for December 11._

Ella wiped her nose then added,

 _If he says he can not come to Savannah then please tell him we will be having Christmas at home._

 _Thank you Santa, Love,_

 _Ella Lorena Kennedy_

The direction was another difficulty for Ella. How did you send a letter to Santa? She hoped it would be enough to write _Mr. Santa Claus, North Pole_. Was the North Pole the city? Was it the state? If it was one, what was the other? Ella had never heard anyone say anything more about Santa's home than that it was at the North Pole. Maybe the North Pole was just the name for his house! Maybe this letter would never reach Santa. Even if it did, maybe he wouldn't know how to find Uncle Rhett. Santa only brought presents to children; maybe once you were a grown-up he didn't know how to find you anymore.

Ella thought of the last time she had seen her mother.

Santa _had_ to find Uncle Rhett.


	2. Chapter 2

Ella stared gloomily out the window of the train. The sun was setting and they hadn't even reached Macon. It would be forever still before they were at home. They would have an early supper in Macon and then take a new train to Atlanta. Mother would want her to sleep on that train and Ella just did not see how it would be possible. She was so awake!

Her mother's reflection wavered in the window. Her dark hair blended into the shadows of night outside, but her pale face stood out starkly. She seemed to be looking at the tops of the seats that stretched in a row all down the train. Mother's mouth was tightly pursed. Ella sighed and trailed a finger along the edge of the window.

The school Christmas party had been nearly a disaster. She had been so sure of Santa and so excited to see her mother that she just couldn't help it. The very first thing she had said was _Where's Uncle Rhett?_ When her mother had stumbled over an answer, Ella had said stupidly, _Didn't he come with you?_

Mother had become very mad after that. No, the party had not been pleasant at all, Ella mused, turning away from the obscuring landscape to pluck at her skirt. She hadn't any friends to show off, like the other girls, and Mother had been angry almost from the first. And Uncle Rhett had not been there.

Ella swallowed hard. He would be in Atlanta, of course. He had to be. She understood he might not be able to make it to a silly, stupid, school party. But he couldn't miss Christmas, could he?

 _Don't be stupid,_ she thought, though it sounded a lot like Wade's voice. _Didn't he miss Christmas last year?_

But he wouldn't do that twice. Especially not now - surely now he would know how he needed to come home. After all, she had written -

"Do you like school?" her mother asked, and Ella jumped. She looked up at Mother a bit shyly. Mother hardly ever spoke to her, not when they were home in Atlanta. The other little girls had laughed and joked with their parents at the party but if Mother had intended to laugh and joke with her, Ella, then she had ruined it when she had asked after Uncle Rhett. Mother always seemed so - so _formidable_ , Ella thought, remembering a new word she had learned that week. Mother was formidable, and when she turned her attention on you, you couldn't help but shrink up like a mouse caught with a cheese that wasn't your own. And how should she answer that question! It would probably be rude to say no, although it would be honest. But she knew Mother paid for her to go to school, and Mother did _not_ like it if she gave you a present and you did not kiss her and say _Thank you very much, it's just the thing I wanted!_

"It's just the thing," she stammered.

Mother looked at her sharply. _Oh dear._ That really didn't make any sense about school, did it.

"I mean yes!"

Mother raised one incisive eyebrow and Ella squirmed. It was almost embarrassing to have Mother's complete attention. Mother opened her mouth but closed it again without saying anything. How strange.

"It's very nice. Thank you," she said. Her mother sighed, and Ella cringed. Somehow she had still disappointed.

"I never had girlfriends at school," her mother said, looking above Ella's head and out the window. Ella held her breath. Mother's eyes returned to hers and they were sharp now. "You should make friends, Ella. You will need girlfriends."

Ella ducked her head. "Yes, Mother," she whispered, and went back to looking out the window.

…

She had to walk when they disembarked in Atlanta. Prissy had accompanied her mother to Savannah but Mother had snapped, _You're too old to be carried now, Ella. Wake up. You can go back to bed when we get - when we reach the house._

So Ella had followed her mother's skirts and Prissy trailed them both, walking next to the porter with their luggage. She yawned and stumbled but her mother's jerking bustle was a little bobbing flame, with its draped red fabric, and she followed it faithfully.

In the carriage Ella yawned again and rested her head on the side wall. The carriage jostled and she bumped her head. Mother put an arm around her and pulled her away from the wall. Ella rested her head against her mother's shoulder and smiled down at the floor. Mother let her rest against her the rest of the way home.

…

"I wrote a letter to Santa," Ella proclaimed that evening in the nursery. Wade didn't sleep there anymore, but they were laying together on the rug waiting to be called down to supper.

"Why did you do that, Ella?" Wade asked. She didn't like the way he said 'that.'

"Isn't that what you _do_ at Christmas? So Santa knows what presents you want."

"I suppose," Wade said. "But really, Ella -"

"What?"

"Oh, nevermind. You wrote to Santa."

"What do you want for Christmas?" she asked.

"I thought we were talking about your letter," Wade said gently.

"Oh. Yes. I wrote to him from school."

"What did you ask for?"

"You tell me first."

"I didn't write a - oh all right!" Ella had rolled to her tummy and glared at her brother with her chin propped on her fists. "IF I wrote a letter, I suppose I would ask for new tin soldiers. Beau and I keep losing them."

"That's _all_?"

Wade shrugged. "I need a new pen for school."

Boys! She _knew_ he missed Uncle Rhett. He acted like he did not, but Ella could tell. She was sure of it. How like a boy not to admit something like that.

"I asked Santa to tell Uncle Rhett to come home."

"Ella…"

"Well really I asked him to come to the school party. Then I said we will have Christmas here. So he could come home, still."

"Mother wouldn't like that at all."

Ella frowned. She agreed with Wade, but she felt that shouldn't be true at all. Weren't they all family? Shouldn't Mother miss Uncle Rhett as much as she, Ella did?

"Of course she would!" Ella said, stubbornly persisting in her defense of her plan. "We would be a family again." _And then I wouldn't be at school because everything would be the same as it was._

She always seemed to annoy Mother when Uncle Rhett was gone. She remembered, just a little bit, that spring when he took Bonnie away with him. Mother had spent time with her - for almost the first time ever, Ella thought. But it hadn't lasted, and Mother had been cross. But then Uncle Rhett and Bonnie had come home and - well it hadn't been all right after that, had it, Ella thought. Mother had had her accident and then they had gone away to Tara.

No, it hadn't been all right after that at all. Maybe Wade was right. Maybe she had been wrong to ask. And maybe it wouldn't matter anyway, for it seemed quite possible now that Santa had never received her letter. If Santa was even real. She remembered how Emma had laughed and Liza had told her Santa was not real.

Oh why did she always make a mess of things!

* * *

 _Thank you to everyone who took the time to read AND review! I appreciate it. This chapter is short, but I promise it is the shortest one. This isn't a long story but the other installments have a little more to them._


	3. Chapter 3

Ella lay flat on her belly at the top of the stairs and tried her best not to breathe at all. She had snuck out of her bedroom to watch for Santa, and been surprised to hear adult voices from the first floor.

Santa brought their gifts on Christmas Eve. If Uncle Rhett wasn't there in the morning, then she would know. She would know he was not real. She had become convinced that is what it would mean. It was silly to worry about having his direction wrong. Everybody in the whole world knew about Santa Claus. He didn't need a long address like herself - Ella Lorena Kennedy, Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Georgia. The North Pole - why any letter carrier would know how to get there! Santa must get hundreds of letters. Everyone would know.

So in that case, if Santa failed to bring Uncle Rhett home, it would not mean her letter hadn't reached him. It would mean Liza and Emma had been right, and Santa did not exist at all.

But oh! Hadn't they received so many lovely presents every year? Mountains of gifts under the tree, for herself, and Wade, and Bonnie. Of course, there hadn't been so very many last year. But that was just because they were such a small group at Christmas. Just Mother, and Wade, and herself. It had just seemed like not so many presents, without Bonnie's gifts as well. The decision to think of last year in this way pleased her, and she decided that it must be true. Where would so many presents come from if not from Santa? So she would not be foolish and listen to the other little girls who were just lying to her, anyway.

Still, she had thought she should sit up and watch for Santa. How embarrassed Liza and Emma would be at school when she told them she had met Santa in person. They wouldn't be able to lie about him after that. And if she stayed awake to see Santa, maybe she would be the first person in the house to see Uncle Rhett.

Ella had so much she wanted to tell Uncle Rhett!

It had been surprising to hear voices downstairs, voices she knew. It wasn't Prissy or Pork or any of the other familiar servants with whom she had grown up. She heard her mother's voice, and Uncle Ashley's. She thought Uncle Ashley had gone home hours ago - she knew Beau had gone home after their Christmas supper. He had to go to bed at his house, just as she and Wade had been put to bed at their house.

How strange, Ella thought, that they had Uncle Ashley and Uncle Rhett. But Uncle Rhett was married to Mother, and Uncle Ashley was not. Uncle Ashley was - was - Ella screwed up her face and tried to remember the complicated connections. He wasn't _her_ Uncle, just like Uncle Rhett wasn't her Uncle. Or her father. Uncle Ashley was _Wade's_ uncle. He had been married to Aunt Melly, and Aunt Melly's brother was Wade's father. Ella thought of that unknown man as Uncle Charlie, which made sense for he had been married to Mother just as Uncle Rhett was. Aunt Melly had told them all - Ella, and Wade, and Beau - so many stories about Uncle Charlie. She thought she knew him almost as well as she knew her own brother. Aunt Melly said Wade looked just like his father, when Uncle Charlie had been little and they all lived in Aunt Pitty's house and played silly games like the ones she had played with Aunt Melly and Wade and Beau.

But why did she have Uncle Rhett, and Uncle Ashley, and only one was married to Mother? She frowned. She knew Uncle Rhett wasn't her Daddy - but sometimes - when Bonnie had called him Daddy, she had been jealous that she didn't have her own Daddy. Maybe if Uncle Rhett came home…

Ella knew her mind was wandering. It was one of those things that made Mother so frustrated with her. Mother would ask her a question and by the time Ella worked through all the parts in her mind, her answer never made any sense. She tried to pay attention to what the voices downstairs were saying. They were very hard to hear.

"Scarlett, you must let me…" Ella strained, but though Uncle Ashley's voice had begun strong it faded rapidly and she could not make out his words.

"Ashley, no," her mother said, in a sharp and familiar tone.

"I know I haven't any right-"

"Not again!" Mother said, and Ella frowned. What again?

"I'm sorry, my dear…" Again, Uncle Ashley's voice which spoke so clearly trailed away. This time it picked up again. "...more than a year, Scarlett. It's enough time-"

"Oh! How dare you! It's never-" Mother's voice dropped lower than Ella could make out now.

"I'm sorry, my dear," Uncle Ashley said again, and Ella pressed her mouth into the scratchy carpet to stifle her laugh. How silly he sounded saying the exact same thing like that! "I only meant the gossip…."

"Damn the gossip-" Ella gasped and missed whatever else her mother might have said. It was suddenly totally quiet. She couldn't hear a sound in the whole house, and she became very aware of how dark and empty the upstairs hall was. She shivered, and took a breath, and realized it had been so quiet because she had been holding her breath. Ella took a deep breath, and another, and the weight of the black air seemed to ease off her back. Uncle Ashley spoke again.

"He hasn't been back. Why do you think…"

"Stop!" Mother cried. "I've heard enough, Ashley Wilkes. I've heard more than enough from you for one lifetime. For old friends' sake - for Melly's sake - I will go upstairs and forget you ever said these things. You know how to show yourself out."

Ella could see Mother emerging from the front parlor. The door opened wide, spilling light into the hall and showing her mother's dark green skirts and gracefully upswept hair. Ella crawled quickly back from the railing. Ella could hear small steps on the wood stairs and she tensed, ready to spring to her feet and run back to the nursery before her mother was far enough up the stairs to see into the hall and find her.

The front door opened - Uncle Ashley must be leaving - Ella had risen halfway when she heard Mother gasp. Ella froze in a half-crouch, suddenly terrified that she had been spotted and reacting instinctively, as if she could not be seen if she only did not move.

A new voice spoke, one that carried clearly to the upstairs hall.

"Am I interrupting the party?" drawled someone familiar.

Now Ella swallowed a yell and, uncautiously, rushed to the railing. Yes - there he was! In the open front doorway, Uncle Rhett was sweeping an elegantly tall hat from his head and tossing it carelessly onto the sideboard. Ella strained over the railing, trying to see into the parlor - to see if there were presents beneath the tree - how had Santa come in while Mother and Uncle Ashley were in the parlor? Oh, she had missed him! She couldn't tell Liza and Emma now - but Uncle Rhett!

Suddenly Ella dropped to her belly and hid her eyes against the carpet. How foolish! Anyone could have seen her standing at the railing like that. She held her breath, waiting to hear her mother's chastisement, or maybe even Uncle Rhett's gentle admonishment. But what she heard was not directed at her.

"Rhett," said Uncle Ashley, and she had never heard him sound so cold.

"Oh," said a voice that must have been her mother though it sounded high and strange. A whoosh and a rustle followed the sound, and Ella lifted her head just enough to peek. Mother was sitting on the stairs in an inelegant balloon of skirts.

"Mr. Wilkes, this is an honor. It seems you have made yourself quite at home. Should I be offering you my congratulations? I must be the first, of course."

"Damn you," Mother said in a low voice, and Ella nearly squealed. Would Wade even believe her if she told him she'd heard Mother curse twice? She bit her lip to stay quiet.

"You have the voice of an angel still, my dear."

"Why are you here?"

"Scarlett, I -"

"Shut up, Ashley. I already told you - and how helpful my dear husband is now, to remind you of the location of the door. It seems you had not yet found it on your own."

Ella peeked again, and she saw Uncle Rhett bow. Uncle Ashley was staring up the stairs at Mother, and when he turned his head he would have seen her hiding place except he dropped his eyes to the floor.

"I beg your pardon, Scarlett. Captain Butler."

The front door clicked shut and then the house was quiet again, nearly as quiet as before only Ella remembered, with effort, to breathe. The sound of her own breath blowing into the stiff carpet was loud in her ears with the utter silence beyond.

"So you are home."

It seemed an awfully long time before Uncle Rhett answered such a simple question. Even Ella thought she could have done better.

"It's Christmas."

"As it was last year."

"Touché, my pet."

"Don't."

"Scarlett."

Ella writhed on the floor. Everything seemed so wrong. Why was Mother still sitting on the stairs? Why didn't Uncle Rhett come up? Suddenly she realized that he had come in alone. He had no luggage. Did he not intend to stay? What if he left right away? What if he left in the morning before she was awake? She could not bear it if that happened!

Ella jumped to her feet and, lifting her nightgown up to her knees so it wouldn't trip her on the stairs, ran down them as fast as she could. She heard Mother say her name but she did not stop until she was standing in the front hall looking up at Uncle Rhett.

"Miss Ella," he said, looking at her seriously.

"Did he find you?" she asked, a little breathless. She took big gulps of air.

"Did who find me?"

"Santa. I wrote to him."

"Ah. Of course. To come home for Christmas?"

"But you don't have any luggage!"

Uncle Rhett smiled and Ella's heart thumped painfully in her chest. He hadn't smiled like that in so very long! Or, well, perhaps he had. After all, she hadn't seen him in more than a year. Maybe he had lots of smiles in that year. But here at home in Atlanta with her, he hadn't smiled in - he hadn't smiled at her like that since before her little sister had died. Uncle Rhett crouched down and drew her into his embrace. Ella threw her arms about his neck and clung desperately.

"I believe it's been unloaded at the back of the house. Even now, I hope that Pork is bringing it upstairs." Uncle Rhett stood, and her bare feet dangled in the cool air, still a little chilly from the draft which had swept in while the front door had been open. Ella looked up at him, but he wasn't looking at her. She twisted her neck and followed his gaze. He was looking at Mother, who was still sitting on the stairs. Ella noticed she had one hand wrapped around a banister. A frown creased Ella's lightly freckled brow and she looked back to Uncle Rhett.

"You are staying for Christmas?"

Uncle Rhett looked down at her and away again. "I believe that's up to your mother, Ella."

Ella turned and looked up at Mother again. She bit her lip against a laugh that even she knew would be most inappropriate, but just that moment she realized how much it looked like Mother had dropped into a bush, with the green skirts of her Christmas dress poofed up around her.

"Of course," Ella heard Mother say. "The children would like that very much."

Ella cried out with joy and hugged Uncle Rhett tighter around the neck. She only heard Uncle Rhett's words because they rumbled right past her ear.

"And you, Mrs. Butler?"

Abruptly, or so it seemed to Ella, Uncle Rhett set her on her feet. "I know I've been remiss in being away so long, but isn't it well past your bedtime?" he asked her, bending low to look her in the eyes. Since Aunt Melly had died, no one - not Mother, nor any of the teachers at school - had looked at her in this way, as if the person cared very much to hear what she had to say and took her quite seriously. Ella felt herself blush from the attention.

"Oh, yes, Uncle Rhett. I was hoping to see Santa."

"What! Did I never tell you that Santa only comes when you are asleep? He is far too sly to risk being caught by curious little children."

"But didn't he bring you?"

"Because of your letter?" Ella nodded. "Ah. No, Ella. He told me that you wrote, of course, but I came to Atlanta in the usual way."

"You didn't get to ride in his sleigh?"

"I'm terribly sorry to disappoint you, but alas! I had to take the train." Rhett tweaked a curl which had come loose from her braid. "Off to bed with you, Ella, if you want Santa to come visit. I'm sure the presents you are waiting for will be here in the morning."

Ella's stomach dropped. But she hadn't asked for anything but Uncle Rhett! She looked up at him, her mouth opening in horror. "But I only asked him to tell you about Christmas!"

Uncle Rhett laughed, but it was such a soft quiet chuckle that it warmed her, instead of making her feel self-conscious about her stupid forgetfulness. "Santa is a very smart man. I'm sure he realized that once you had me, you would want a little something more in the way of presents. I dare say there will be presents for - everyone - beneath the tree. But in the morning, Ella! Go back to bed."

Ella hugged Uncle Rhett about his middle, pressing her cheek to his abdomen and noticing without conscious thought that it was firm again, not the soft pillow it had been the last time she had hugged him. "Good night, Uncle Rhett," she whispered.

"Good night, Ella."

Ella started up the stairs, creeping on her toes as if she was still sneaking around. She glanced once at her mother's face, then kept her eyes on the polished treads. She heard Mother sigh as Ella drew nearer.

"Ella."

Ella stopped, her eyes fixed on the green hem of her mother's skirts. To her surprise, Mother's arms went around her shoulders in a soft hug. "Merry Christmas," she heard her whisper. Ella lifted her head and smiled.

"Merry Christmas, Mother."

* * *

 _Thank you again to everyone reading and reviewing this little bit of a story! Yay Rhett is home, but more important than Christmas, it is STAR WARS WEEK! My first and best love. Happy Star Wars week to any other fans who might cross the same fandoms! Let's hope the new movie is good (I've thrown caution to the wind and decided it's gonna be good)._


	4. Chapter 4

_I am posting this one a little early. There will be two more chapters coming for Christmas._

* * *

Bright sunlight was streaming in through the nursery windows when Ella awoke the next morning. If the sun was up, surely it wasn't too early to - oh where to begin! She had to tell Wade about Uncle Rhett, she had to look for the presents under the tree, she had to make sure Uncle Rhett was really home.

She should start with that. It would be awful to tell Wade that Uncle Rhett had come home, if it turned out not to be true. Wade was usually very nice to her, but he was still her older brother. He laughed at her and teased her sometimes, and she did not like that very much at all. Better to make absolutely sure that last night hadn't been a dream, or a terrible lie, and Uncle Rhett was already gone.

Ella couldn't go to his bedroom, but maybe Uncle Rhett would already be awake. She remembered he had always seemed to be up earlier than Mother ever was.

Ella got herself out of bed and wrapped up in a robe. For Christmas morning, she did not have to worry about getting dressed. They would open presents and eat breakfast before Mother would send for Prissy. She slid her feet into her slippers and padded quietly out into the hall. Pausing, Ella listened to the house, but if anyone else was awake upstairs, she could not hear them.

Ella ran down the hallway to the top of the stairs. Her heart lifted just remembering looking down and seeing Uncle Rhett at the door last night. She remembered to grab the railing this morning when she started down. Mother had become so strict about that - in the excitement over Uncle Rhett she had forgotten. Ella carefully picked her way down the stairs and then stood for a moment, unsure where to look first. As badly as she wanted to reassure herself that Uncle Rhett was there, she also wanted to rush into the parlor and look at the tree, look through the presents, and see if there _really_ was something for her. But what if she found her presents, and then it turned out Uncle Rhett was not one of them?

She had to find Uncle Rhett first. Should she start with the library? He had spent an awful lot of time there in the last year - no, that wasn't right - it was two years ago. Mother had redone the room when Ella had been at school in the spring. When Ella had come home in the summer, the dark paneled room with bookshelves against all the walls had been completely changed. Most of the bookshelves were gone - Ella still didn't know what Mother had done with the books they had held - and so was the dark wood on the walls. There was a pretty cream chair rail. Ella liked to put her fingertips on the top and follow it around the room, tracing the window frames when they split the rail. The room was painted blue now. Not that dark blue Ella thought of as Bonnie's blue, but the pretty pale blue of a sunny sky. Uncle Rhett had liked the dark library, and Ella had not. Ella liked the new blue room - maybe Uncle Rhett would not.

Ella's stomach rumbled. Oh! It was also breakfast time. She should check the dining room, of course. Maybe some of the breakfast food would already be set out - cold fruits, or ham from their supper the night before. She could at least have something to eat, if Uncle Rhett was not there.

Ella scampered to the dining room then stopped at the door. Suddenly she was nervous. The last night really did seem like a dream. A wondrous surprise, so astonishing and perfect that she had forgotten how long Uncle Rhett had been gone. All that had mattered was that he had come home. In the dry morning light, she remembered how truly long it had been, and her nerves began to thrum. Suppose he didn't like her anymore? He might not. She was not sure why he had been away from home for so long. It certainly seemed possible that he might not like her anymore, or Wade.

More timid now, Ella moved into the dining room. She kept her eyes on the rug, a few steps ahead of her slippered feet. With every step she dared herself to be brave enough to lift her head and look for Uncle Rhett.

Ella could see the back legs of the chair at the end of the table, and drawing in her courage with a big, deep breath, looked up. She scanned the table in an instant, and her heart leapt for joy - very nearly followed by her feet - to see Uncle Rhett looking up from a newspaper at the same time.

"Merry Christmas, Ella," he said, smiling at her.

Ella ran around the table to hug him around the chest. She felt him kiss her sleep-mussed hair. "You really _are_ here," she whispered. Uncle Rhett's arms tightened around her before he grasped her shoulders and set her back a step.

"I'm sorry," Uncle Rhett said gravely.

"Oh, no -" Ella began.

Uncle Rhett tugged her braid. "Oh, yes. I'm sorry I went away last year. I am especially sorry I did not say goodbye to you or Wade. I am sorry I didn't write or come to visit. I had prom -" Uncle Rhett's eyes looked past her a moment. "My actions were not worthy of a stepfather," he said.

Ella looked at him with wide eyes. Uncle Rhett had always treated her as if he thought her an important person, but she still did not know what to make of this very adult speech. After a moment, Uncle Rhett laughed. "Are you ready for breakfast?" he asked, at the very same time that Ella's stomach grumbled again. Uncle Rhett's black eyes sparkled as he pulled a chair close to his own and helped her climb up. He must have spoken to the cook, for the table was already fully set with breakfast food. He piled her plate high with anything she pointed at.

Ella started on a waffle drowned in syrup. He had cut the sliced pears into little chunks for her and she got her fingers all sticky trying to press each chunk into a divot of the waffle. She was eating happily when Wade strolled into the dining room. Ella crowed happily before saying, her mouth still half-full of waffle, "Wade! Look iff Unca Rhett!"

Unlike herself, Wade did not come running to Uncle Rhett's side. He stood stiffly next to the wall, staring at her and Uncle Rhett in turns.

"Merry Christmas, Wade," Uncle Rhett said, using his most serious tone of voice.

"You're home," her brother said, and his voice was strange and flat. Ella had never heard Wade sound like that before.

"Yes, I am, son." Ella saw Wade's shoulders jerk back. She looked up at Uncle Rhett, wondering what that meant, and saw his mouth was crooked. "Wade, I just finished offering my apology to your sister. I owe you one as well. I am sorry I left without any word to you, and that I did not send you any word while I was away."

"Why didn't you write to us?" Wade asked. Ella's head moved as if she was following a fast bunny that couldn't decide between the carrots or the peas in the kitchen garden. Again, she jerked her head from Wade to Rhett.

"Wade - and you too, Ella - I can't explain everything. I can't explain most of it. It was - it was between me and your mother." Uncle Rhett smiled at Wade, and covered Ella's small hand with his. "I needed time to think about some things."

"Bonnie?" asked Ella.

"Ella!" Wade chastised. Mother had been very upset whenever they had mentioned their baby sister. They had done so rarely, only occasionally attempting to share some memory at the supper table, but both had learned quickly to stop even that much.

"It's all right," said Uncle Rhett. "Yes, Ella. Bonnie was part of it, too."

Ella nodded and went back to her waffle. She didn't understand. Unlike Wade, she never expected to understand adults, so this lack did not bother her.

"Would you like some breakfast, Wade?" Uncle Rhett was asking.

Waffles, thought Ella, made so many things better. By the time Mother entered the dining room, Wade's stiff shoulders had relaxed and he was laughing while Uncle Rhett made an impression of a very snooty woman he had met abroad.

"But sir," Uncle Rhett was saying, "is not Geeorrgia" (the lady had apparently said the name of Ella's state very strangely) "such a backwater? I thought you all still lived in log cabins!"

Ella giggled as well, although she didn't think she found it as funny as Wade seemed to. Mother walked in, and for one brief moment Ella was glad - so glad - they were all together on Christmas. But then even Ella could sense the tension which covered the dining room like a too-thick blanket. She grew hot around the neck, like she did when she had stayed burrowed too long under her covers.

In her seat close to Uncle Rhett, Ella saw his big body stiffen. His head tilted, his nose and chin lifting as he eyed her mother. Ella frowned as she looked up at Uncle Rhett. For a very long time, it seemed as if no one would speak.

"Merry Christmas, Mother!" she blurted out suddenly. _Well_ , she thought, _at least_ I _remember my manners_. Although she allowed that to be a strange occurrence, for usually she was the very last person to remember the right thing to say.

"Merry Christmas, Ella," Mother replied. Her voice was scratchy, as if the inside of her throat was covered in sand. Wade added his greeting, and Mother returned it. Ella lifted her elbow from the arm of her chair, prepared to jab Uncle Rhett. Perhaps he needed a reminder. Ella so often did, herself.

"You look beautiful," Uncle Rhett said before Ella could act. "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Butler."

Uncle Rhett's words made Ella beam. Mother was always the most beautiful woman anywhere. He leaned so close to Ella to whisper in her ear that his mustache tickled.

"Ella, would you mind terribly if you took the chair next to Wade? I would like to invite your mother to sit at my side."

"Oh! Not at all!" Ella cried out loud, already scrambling out of the chair and moving quickly around the table. When she was seated, Uncle Rhett slid her half-full plate to her across the table.

"Won't you have a seat, Mrs. Butler?" he asked. Ella, digging into her waffles and fruit again, wondered why Uncle Rhett was being so very formal.

Mother took the chair Ella had just vacated. "Allow me," she heard Uncle Rhett say quietly, and watched him fill a plate just as he had done for her and Wade. It was so much easier for Uncle Rhett to reach the dishes in the middle of the table. He didn't even have to stand to do so, as Mother and Wade did. Ella, her fork busy between the waffle and her mouth, looked expectantly around the table. Now it would really be Christmas, like it hadn't been in so long.

But no one was speaking. Uncle Rhett was watching Mother intently; Ella, Wade, and his breakfast seemingly forgotten. Ella began to swing her heels against the chair, wishing Uncle Rhett would tell another funny story.

How strange this Christmas morning was, again with only she, Ella, to remember her good manners!

"Did you have a nice trip home, Uncle Rhett?" she queried, and the question succeeded in drawing his attention from Mother.

"Ah, yes, thank you," Uncle Rhett said. He didn't say anything else, which was unusual. Uncle Rhett always had so much to say, even though she did not understand most of it. She had hoped he would begin another story.

Ella finished her waffle and propped her chin on one hand. She could feel the stick of syrup when she closed her fingers. "Were you very far away?"

Uncle Rhett looked back at Mother and for a moment she was worried he would ignore them again. "I was in Charleston. My mother lives there. You remember Grandmother Butler? We had our own little Christmas celebration with my sister, and my brother and his family."

Ella had never known that Uncle Rhett had a sister, or a brother. Perhaps that was why he had stayed away so very long. She didn't like being away from Mother and Wade for so long at school. Uncle Rhett must have missed his family very much while he had been in Atlanta with her family. But, she frowned, weren't they his family? How confusing.

"How long had you been in Charleston?" Mother asked. Her voice wasn't as scratchy now, but it was a cool tone that Ella recognized. It was the voice Mother used when she had done something wrong, and Mother was waiting for her to tell what it was. Had Uncle Rhett done something wrong? But how could Mother know, since he had not been home?

"Just over a week," Uncle Rhett answered, turning his head back to Mother. It was so strange, Ella thought. She had never noticed it before. When Uncle Rhett looked at Mother, she had the discomfiting sensation that he had closed a door, with she and Wade still on the other side. But after a moment, he smiled at Ella and Wade, and the feeling of isolation passed as if it had never happened.

Ella burned to ask the most important question. Now that Uncle Rhett was home, could she stay home as well? It would be so nice, so very nice, not to go back to school. But maybe it was too early to ask that question. Maybe Uncle Rhett would not stay very long. Would he only be home a week, too?

"Are you to spend a week here, too?" Wade asked. Ella beamed at her brother. He was always braver than she. She was afraid to ask, but not Wade.

"I -" Uncle Rhett said, then cleared his throat. Ella leaned forward expectantly, studying him intently as she waited for the answer. She began to fidget when it seemed Uncle Rhett might not answer. "Wade, son," he finally said, "I'd like to come home. Would that be all right with you?"

"Oh yes!" Ella squealed, bouncing on her seat.

Uncle Rhett smiled at her briefly. "Wade?"

Ella turned to her brother, ready to elbow him in the side so he would remember his voice. Wade often helped her in the same way, when she got so lost in her own thoughts she forgot to answer a grown-up's question. Wade was frowning at Uncle Rhett.

"Wade!" Ella hissed in his ear.

Wade shoved her away lightly, and she stuck out her tongue.

"Yes, sir," he answered at last. Ella beamed at her brother, then across the table to Mother and Uncle Rhett.

"May we open presents now?" Ella asked, digging her heels against the chair legs so she could lift her bottom and hover over the seat. She leaned forward over the table eagerly.

Uncle Rhett's eyes twinkled. "You had better go examine the gifts, Ella, and make sure there are some for you."

"Oh no!" she cried, and scrambled down from her chair to run into the parlor.


	5. Chapter 5

_Twas the night before Christmas! Here is a little sugarplum dusted with angst for your Christmas Eve. I was asked for a reminder of Ella's age. This is Christmas 1874, Ella is eight years and a couple of months old._

* * *

Ella dozed on the sofa after supper. It had been a grand Christmas Day. There had been so many presents - more than she could have counted, she was sure. After dinner, Uncle Rhett had spent most of the day playing games with her and Wade. They had set up Wade's new train set in the ballroom. It only took up one small corner, but Uncle Rhett said that if it was all right with Mother, he would buy them enough track to go around the whole room.

It was past Ella's bedtime. Wade had already gone upstairs, but Ella had been suddenly afraid. What if she woke up in the morning and Uncle Rhett was gone? She knew she had acted like a baby, clinging to Uncle Rhett and refusing to go up to her own bed. Uncle Rhett had lifted her into his arms again and said quietly, "Let her stay up for a bit, Scarlett."

Mother had looked cross and said, "She's too big for you to hold her like that. She's grown quite a bit _in a year._ "

"Yes, she has," Uncle Rhett had murmured over Ella's head.

"Oh, all right," Mother had said, coming close and running her cool hand over Ella's curls.

So Ella and Uncle Rhett had sat on the sofa, flipping the pages of her new Little Prudy book. It was a story about Prudy's sister Susy, who was the same age as Ella and had the same name as her cousin Susie. Ella much preferred the funny girl in the book to that mean, stuck-up Susie, she had said out loud. Surprisingly, that had made Mother laugh and come over to kiss the crown of Ella's head. Ella wasn't sure what Mother had been doing before then, but when she tried to go away again Uncle Rhett had leaned forward and caught her around the wrist.

Now, Ella was snuggled comfortably on the deep sofa in between both her parents. The Little Prudy book was open on her lap, but Uncle Rhett had made a bookmark from the gold band around one of his cigars so she didn't have to worry about losing her place. Mother's fingers ran soothingly through her hair, and Uncle Rhett's chest made a nice warm pillow.

Ella had felt shy at first, when Mother joined them on the sofa. Mother never spent very much time with her, and was often cross when she did so. It made Ella nervous, that she might say the wrong thing or ask too many questions. But Mother had been so quiet that Ella almost forgot she was there, and she certainly forgot that Mother did not like it when Ella interrupted stories too much. And Mother hadn't snapped at her or chastised her for being silly. Sometimes Ella shivered, like someone was watching her, but when she looked up at Mother and Uncle Rhett they hadn't been looking at her at all.

The very best part was when Uncle Rhett decided that Mother should read the things that Prudy and Susy said. It was only right, according to Uncle Rhett, for they were girls, and he was not. Mother had protested and Uncle Rhett whispered to Ella, and they both had begged her until Mother gave in. Uncle Rhett and Mother took turns reading the story, Uncle Rhett patiently answering all of Ella's questions, but they must have stopped at some point. For now Ella was more asleep than awake, tucked cozily in between Mother and Uncle Rhett, and the story had been forgotten. Instead, they were speaking to each other in whispers above her head.

"The children look well." When Uncle Rhett spoke, his chest hummed beneath Ella's ear.

"Did you think I wouldn't take care of them?"

"No. I apologize for my poor attempt at a light conversation, my dear."

"It's been a long year, Rhett. More than a year."

Uncle Rhett's arm shifted behind Ella's head. She curled into herself, resting her head more completely on his solid body.

"I would like to make this year a better one," Uncle Rhett said. As close as he was, he spoke so quietly that Ella could hardly hear him. His words were an indistinct, rumbling background noise as her brain stumbled toward sleep.

"I don't know if I can," Mother said. "If you had said so last Christmas…"

"You loved Ashley for years. It wounds me to think you would give up on me so easily."

"Don't be unfair!"

Suddenly the world was tilting. Slim arms tugged at Ella, pulling her from Uncle Rhett into her mother's lemon-scented embrace. She grumbled, protesting, then relaxed as Mother stroked her hair again.

"I know I can't, if you won't let that go. If you can't see -. Rhett, I haven't even heard from you in almost a year. One letter in all the time since you left, making your excuses to the children for last Christmas. To the children, not even to me. And then you show up here in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve. You didn't even send word that we should expect you."

"I thought you might tell me not to bother, if you knew I intended to come home. I had to see you. I could not risk that."

Mother's sigh made Ella's head rise and fall with her chest. "What you said last year…" Mother said in a quiet, trailing voice.

"Is no longer true. If it ever was. If I wasn't just deluding myself. I'm not sure I know, myself. And what you said?"

Her mother's arms tightened uncomfortably, making Ella squirm until they relaxed. The adults were silent.

"She should be in bed," Mother said, whispering into Ella's hair.

"I can carry her upstairs." Strong arms reached under Ella, lifting her from Mother's lap. She opened her eyes, blinking up at Uncle Rhett, then wrapped her arms around his wide neck and burrowed her head against his shoulder. The adults did not speak as he carried Ella up to the nursery, but she could hear the light whisper of Mother's feet going up the stairs with them.

Uncle Rhett paused in the doorway to the nursery, and he seemed suddenly stiff. Ella smelled lemons as Mother came up next to them, and her hair tickled Ella's forehead.

"Rhett," Mother whispered, and then they were moving again.

Uncle Rhett laid Ella down on her soft bed, then he moved away to make room for Mother. Ella opened her eyes again and Mother smiled down at her. Ella smiled back automatically. Mother looked so soft and warm when she smiled like that.

"Sit up, sleepyhead," Mother said quietly. Ella complied, swinging her feet over the side of the bed. Bending, Mother untied her shoes and slipped them off. She sat next to Ella, and Ella giggled as she slid across the mattress when it dipped. Mother's hands were gentle as she turned Ella so she could undo the buttons running down the back of her burgundy dress. Ella fidgeted with the lace trim that ran down the front until Mother tugged at her shoulders. She hopped off the bed so Mother could pull off her dress and help her change from underthings into her nightdress. Mother pulled her covers back and Ella climbed back into her bed.

"Uncle Rhett?" Ella murmured sleepily. Mother kissed her forehead.

"I'll get him, darling. Good night."

"Good night," Ella said around a yawn. Mother moved away, then Uncle Rhett was there, kneeling next to the bed. His big hand covered her whole head as he brushed her hair back from her forehead.

"Merry Christmas Uncle Rhett," Ella whispered.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Ella," he answered, kissing her forehead and standing up.

"Wait!" Ella cried, suddenly alert. She sat up in bed and reached for Uncle Rhett, catching his arm in her small hands. "Uncle Rhett!"

"Ella?" he questioned, turning back to her bed.

"You aren't leaving now, are you?" Ella asked, tightening her fists on his sleeve.

"Ah," he said, and sat down on the bed. The mattress sank much more beneath his body than it had under Mother's, but he set his hands on her shoulders and held her steady. "I promise you, Miss Ella, to be here in the morning when you wake up."

"But that's just tomorrow," she whispered.

Uncle Rhett's eyes twinkled warmly as he said, "I thought tomorrow was quite good enough for some." Ella heard Mother huff from across the room, although she didn't understand. She kept her imploring eyes on her stepfather.

"Your mother and I have to talk about it, Ella. But I promise you," Uncle Rhett said in a somber voice, "I won't again leave without saying goodbye to you. And if I do have to leave, I also promise to write to you this time. And maybe you could come visit me in Charleston sometime."

Ella clung to his arms. "But I want you to stay here!"

"I know," Uncle Rhett said, tugging his arms from her grasping hands and hugging her gently. Ella bravely didn't cry, although she heard a strange sound from across the room. Uncle Rhett rubbed her back for a moment, then he laid her gently back against her pillows. Ella sniffled then.

"Go to sleep, Ella. I will see you in the morning. I promise."

Ella bit her lip and nodded, trying to be brave, but when Uncle Rhett started to move away she cried out.

"You can visit me in Savannah!"

"What?" Uncle Rhett asked sharply, turning back to her.

Ella sniffled again. "Wh-when I'm at school. Savannah is so much closer to Charleston, I know it is. And you could come visit. You could come to the Christmas party. I told Santa to invite you this year, but -"

"Savannah?" Uncle Rhett asked, but he wasn't looking at her.

"There's a girls school," Mother said. "I thought it would be better for her. After you left -"

Uncle Rhett lifted a hand and Mother stopped talking. He came back to Ella's bedside and squeezed one of her hands.

"If you are at school in Savannah, I will come to see you whenever I can. And I will come to the next Christmas party. Now go to sleep, Ella. Merry Christmas."

The dimly lit room wavered as Ella's eyes watered. "Merry Christmas, Uncle Rhett."

Uncle Rhett turned out the light on her table, but enough light still came in through the open doorway that Ella could watch him as he went to stand in front of Mother. His dark head bent down and Ella heard the soft hissing sound of indistinct words being exchanged, but she couldn't make them out. A few syllables reached her ears - _talk, tonight, Scarlett._ Then his arm went around Mother's back and they left the nursery, pulling the door closed behind them.


	6. Chapter 6

Rhett put his arm around Scarlett to lead her from the nursery after they put Ella to bed at last. It was after midnight. No longer Christmas. She was stiff in his embrace now, tense and - if her fidgeting fingers were any indication - nervous.

Good. That meant they might be on something approaching equal footing, for once, if she was as nervous as he.

Silently, with an unspoken accord, they went back downstairs to the warm parlor. Ella's discarded storybook was open on the sofa, and Scarlett moved away from him to pick it up. She set it under the darkened tree with the children's other gifts. Then she turned, facing him across the parlor. Rhett's mouth was dry. God, he had missed her. He had spent months denying it. He had made his excuses last Christmas because he was starting to become aware of just how badly he had lied to her, and had been resentful of her hold on him. He had been afraid to face her, to acknowledge his own weakness. Instead, he had tried to tell himself that she would only entrap him again, if he went home.

It was harder to explain why he hadn't tried to contact her since then. Everything had just happened so gradually - winter thawing into spring. He hadn't known what to say. He had been scared; sick with an old fear of his own love and the power that gave her. Only Scarlett had ever had more power over his own life than he himself had.

Christmas, 1874 had become a breaking point, in his own mind at least. If he did not find the courage to face her for that holiday, it must be too late. If he stayed away any longer, she would never forgive him. Even now, she might not. If he could not stop himself from the old taunts, could not bury the jealousy that had come roaring back when he came home to find Ashley in the house and utterly surprised him with its vehemence, could not offer her his heart openly as he had never before had the courage to do -

Rhett took a deep breath and sat on the sofa. He did not ask her to join him.

"I want to come home," he said, quietly. Rhett braced his forearms across his thighs and spread his fingers, palm-up to the empty air.

"You didn't want to come home for fifteen months," Scarlett said with bitterness heavy in her throat.

That wasn't entirely true, but Rhett did not expect to make her understand that.

"I was wrong. I'm sorry."

Scarlett's sharp laugh was as bitter as her words. "And aren't you the one who told me how childish I was, to think that saying 'I'm sorry' meant anything at all?"

Rhett closed his eyes for a moment. She had the damnedest knack for always remembering the worst he had said and catching him with his own words.

"Yes," he said shortly. "I know I can't remedy the last year and more by an apology. I can't wipe my absence from your mind and expect to begin again in the morning as if I had never left. These things - these years between us, Scarlett, won't go away, even if we wish them to. And," Rhett added, his voice softening to a whisper, "I wouldn't wish them to. I wouldn't wish away Bonnie."

Scarlett flinched, and he bowed his head. For several minutes, silence reigned in the parlor.

"The children miss you," Scarlett said. Rhett hoped it was an admission from her, as well, hidden in safer words about Wade and Ella.

"And I missed them, very much," he said, knowing he meant more than that himself. "What's this about Savannah?" Rhett asked, moving the conversation onto safer ground, at least temporarily.

"I sent her away to school. She was so sad, after you left and - and Melly. I think I made it worse. I didn't know what to do with them. Wade - I knew he was sad, too, but he's such a good, quiet boy. But Ella…" Rhett saw Scarlett's throat working as she struggled with some confession. "I thought it might be better for her."

Rhett filled in the unsaid edges of her speech. It maybe had been better for Ella to be out of the house, for the grief which sharpened Scarlett's temper to fade.

"Does she like the school?"

Scarlett sighed. "I don't think so. She won't say it, but there's something - I suppose it's hard to believe, coming from me. But I think she's trying to hide it."

"It can be hard to adjust, being away from home."

Scarlett nodded, but did not offer further agreement. Rhett cast about for some other safe topic, then abandoned the search. He didn't want to be safe. He wanted to stay.

Rhett rose abruptly and crossed to where Scarlett stood in front of the tree in just a few long strides. He closed his hands over her shoulders, feeling the ridges of bone under his palms. She was thinner than he remembered, he thought; but it had been many, many years since he had touched her. The pale skin and dark circles weren't new, either, but he felt guilty for his own part in their lingering presence. He could wait for her forever, he _had_ been waiting for her forever. His patience had not run out but he sensed that if he was patient, she would only hold him at arm's length until he left again.

Gripping her firmly, Rhett hauled her close, then slid one hand to her chin. He tilted her head back and bent over her mouth, pausing only briefly to whisper, "I love you, Scarlett." Then he kissed her.

Rhett expected a struggle, expected her to shove him away as she had been verbally doing all day. He expected a slap, angry words, more distance. He received more than he had dared hope for. Scarlett melted against him, her slim body molding to his and her lips parting easily. His tongue brushed her lips, once, twice, before slipping inside her welcoming mouth. She moaned, a desirous sound that made him stiffen instantly. He released her chin and slid his arm down her body, relearning the smooth slope of her side, until his hand came to rest in the nip of her waist. He moved his other hand from her shoulder and wrapped it around the nape of her neck, digging his fingers into her thick hair. Rhett felt her small hands on his chest, fisting in the frills of his shirt.

He could have stood there for hours, kissing her. She was fire in his blood, answering his passion with her own as he had always dreamed she might, as she had once - just once. But the memory of that once, when passion had overwhelmed reason but changed nothing in the cold morning light, chilled his blood. He raised his head, pulling away from her with an effort made even harder by the willing way her mouth tried to follow his.

"I love you," he said again, harsher this time. He flexed his hand on her scalp, and forced her head back so he could look into her eyes. Witch's eyes, cat's eyes, they gleamed in the light from the gas lamps, hot with undeniable desire. "I can't fix the last year, the last two years, or twelve - how far back do you want to go, Scarlett?" Rhett swallowed hard, trying to rein himself in. "I'm sorry doesn't change it. But let me stay, here, with you. With the children. Our children," he murmured. "Tomorrow will be new," he said. "A new start for all of us."

Scarlett laughed then, and Rhett blinked at her. He tensed, nervous, unsure what her laughter signified. But those green eyes, their singular color which he had carried in his mind for that decade and longer, met his own with warmth. "Another day?" she questioned, a teasing note in her voice.

"What?" Rhett responded, dumbly, his brain function diminishing as she pressed her body closer to his. "God, Scarlett," he groaned. This was new, this apparent interest in intimacy, welcoming his touch, and he wanted to revel in it, in her. But he had to be sure, before he stayed. If she let him stay - was that even resolved?

A tremor went down Rhett's arms as, with an immense effort, he stepped back from Scarlett, his grip preventing her from moving with him. "What about Ashley?" he asked. She tensed. "I need to know that you meant what you said last year. Last night -"

"Last night," Scarlett snapped, jerking out of his hold, "We had a Christmas supper with Ashley and Beau. Just as we did last year, when you decided not to keep your word. Ashley came back after supper to ask me if I would divorce you."

Rhett froze. Scarlett stalked over to the parlor door, looking out into the front hall. "I was telling him to leave when you walked in."

When he walked in, and accused her of accepting just such a proposal. _I'm sorry_ would never suffice.

"I was a fool," he said quietly.

"Yes."

Rhett crossed the parlor to stand behind her. The hall was dark. The light from the parlor barely caught the lowest prisms of the chandelier and the faceted crystal gleamed weakly. He did not touch her, did not put out his arms and draw her back. Scarlett turned and craned her head back to see his face, but she did not pull away.

"Can you love an old fool?" Rhett asked, his hands fisted at his sides.

"Yes," she whispered in response, not looking away but squaring her jaw with familiar stubborn daring. He watched color bloom across the apples of her cheeks as they stared at each other. Rhett forced his fingers to relax and lifted his arms, shaking again now with the effort of control, to rest his hands lightly on her hips. Rhett lowered his head, bringing his mouth down to hers but not kissing her, not yet.

"I love you, Scarlett, and I want to stay. If you'll have me. If you still love."

Scarlett rose on her tiptoes to bring her lips to his. She kissed him, softly brushing her lips across his. "I love you," she whispered. "Don't leave," she breathed against his mouth.

Rhett groaned and moved his hands from her hips to her back, crushing her to him as he caught her teasing mouth and kissed her hard.

"You mean it?" he asked, the dim echo of another time in his ears. "You don't want to take it back?"

"I mean it," Scarlett said, and he kissed her again. And again. And again.

* * *

 _Yes, this is the end. This was only ever intended to be a quick little holiday story (if you want more out of a sequel, the other story I am posting now will be much, much longer!)._

 _I did want to make a comment on Ella's age and the school situation, it fit perhaps better with the age reminder in the last chapter but felt a bit like a spoiler for the short discussion of the school in this scene. It probably doesn't make an enormous amount of sense for Scarlett to have sent her seven-year-old daughter to a boarding school (Ella first went in January of 1874, when she was still seven), but as danced around in this scene, in her grief (and with a shortened temper), Scarlett found Ella unbearably aggravating but also recognized that her own volatility was not fair to Ella. Ella bore the brunt of this mood - not that she's a child who acts out, but her flights and fidgets, her questions about Melanie and Rhett, provoked Scarlett's instability._


End file.
